Fragments of a Broken Timeline [Book 3]

Ch.32 Lost and Found

"Okay, so apparently Salim lost a small fortune betting on the camels a while back, and had to pawn his thief outfit--"

"Of course he did, because this imbecile of a thief cannot go one day without spending his blasted money earned!" Malik cut Bentley off.

"It is not like you are much better!" Salim retorted. "You gave yours to the pawn shop owner not too long ago!"

"Because I was under the impression I would be retiring, you moronic bag of camel fur!" Malik hissed.

"Guys, can we not do this right now?!" Rae quickly cut in. "We seriously don't have time for you two to be arguing over everything, and we really need your help, and if getting those outfits back is a start, then we're going to need to all work together on this."

Malik and Salim shared a glance before sighing, giving Rae a gesture. "Very well..." They both begrudgingly agreed.

Rae nodded. "Good. Now then, as you were saying, Bentley?"

Bentley cleared his throat. "Ahem... Right, well, thank you Rae." He nodded. "Anyhow, Sly, you and Rae are going to have to buy those outfits back, but the shop keeper is a serious security freak -- a real head case! His place is a fortress, and he never leaves, so all business is conducted through a slot in the door. I think this is one time we're going to have to play it straight and pay the man what he wants... As you might imagine, his price is pretty steep -- the shop keeper will only accept flawless gemstones; four, to be exact. The only gems of that quality here are the decorative stone embedded in the city walls! I've managed to locate the four largest specimens for you, so all you two have to do is remove them, avoid the guards, and bring them to the shop. Just make sure those gems are still flawless when you get there." Bentley explained. "Well, you two know the drill, so you should get going while the going is still good."

Sly and Rae nodded as they got up from the table. "Right. We'll be back soon enough, Bentley." Sly said. "Come on, Rae, let's get going." He said, taking her hand.

"Oka--"

"...Huh?" Sly abruptly perked up.

Suddenly, Rae felt a horrible sensation in her stomach, followed by a disgusting, phlemy taste in her mouth. The fox clamped a hand over her mouth before slipping her hand away from Sly's as she bolted in the opposite direction. Sly gasped, quickly going after Rae, until she had slammed the door to her bathroom shut, locking it behind herself. All Sly could do was listen as Rae began to wretch violently, coughing and hacking in the process. Rae clutched onto her stomach as she threw up, tears welling up in her eyes at the extreme pain she was in along with the brutal force that came with vomiting. Sly tried to open the door, but when he jiggled the handle, he found it was locked as he began to bang against the door.

"Rae! Hey, Rae! Rae, are you okay!? Rae!!" Sly called.

Rae abruptly gasped, panting heavily when she was finally able to catch a breath, but moments later, she began throwing up again, more violently this time. Her involuntary tears slid down her face due to the pain from gagging so hard, followed by wretched coughing and gasping for breath. It was then though that Malik had burst into the room, a stern look on her face. "Please leave the room at once!" She barked.

"But I--"

"Please do as I say! This is very urgent! Let me handle Ms. Rae!" Malik ordered. "Leave at once!"

Sly was a bit taken aback by Malik's sudden, but forceful time as she started barking orders, but rather than make her angry from having to repeat herself, Sly sheepishly left the room. Once gone though, Malik was digging around in her pocket for something, until she heard Rae on the other side of the door, her voice a bit hoarse. "M-Malik..." Rae croaked.